Teachers, staff urge board to address pay, insurance and health services

At a meeting of the Osceola County School Board, teachers, union leaders and classified staff urged the board to pursue local funding and policy changes to retain educators and protect employee health.

The concerns centered on pay, proposed insurance changes and access to district-run health services. "Let's be the district that doesn't just say we value educators, but show it," parent and community member Jacqueline Cruz told the board, urging consideration of a dedicated millage increase to raise teacher salaries.

Why it matters: speakers said low pay and rising employee costs are creating retention risks ahead of the next school year and that a single district health clinic and recent facility issues are worsening staff health and time-off burdens.

Union leaders and district employees provided figures and specific requests. Janet Moody, president of the Osceola County Education Association, said staff voted overwhelmingly in May to retain union representation and urged the board and the union to begin planning a tax referendum by 2026 to boost local education revenue. "We went through two votes in the month of May, and 98% of those who voted ... voted to keep their union," Moody said.

Emily Grintz, instructional vice president for OCEA, said Florida ranks 50th nationally for average teacher pay and cited local cost pressures: "The average national teacher pay is $72,000. Florida sits at $54,000. But the cost of living on average in Florida is $62,000," she said, adding that many Osceola teachers take home about $3,000 a month while rent in the county runs about $2,000.

Speakers linked benefit changes proposed by the district to potential retention problems and to practical access issues for staff. Amanda Jacobs, a district employee, said the district's clinic requires travel of more than an hour from her home and that out-of-pocket costs for imaging and braces forced her to pay privately. "How is that fair?" she asked the board.

Health and facility concerns were raised by staff who say workplace conditions may be linked to illnesses. Emily Grintz read a statement on behalf of teacher Lori Austin: "There are three teachers at my school that we know of who have been diagnosed previously with a mold infection. ... These contribute to the 104 cancer anomalies," the statement said. Grintz urged the district to inspect schools and investigate mold and environmental causes.

Classified staff (ESPs) also urged pay increases. Lashana Ward, speaking for education support professionals, said average starting pay for ESP K–8 positions is about $33,426 and that paraprofessional starts average about $44,682, and asked that the board not overlook those employees.

Public commenters and union leaders repeatedly recommended that the district and union jointly explore a local millage referendum to generate revenue for salary increases and to offset rising employee costs. Moody said some Florida districts that maintain competitive pay have passed local tax referenda to fund salaries; she asked the board to start that work.

Board response: Superintendent Dr. Shanoff acknowledged the remarks and thanked attendees. He said district leaders share frustration over pay and that "the words that were conveyed tonight are not lost on me." He did not announce new actions or a timetable for the financial proposals raised during public comment.

Next steps: speakers asked the board to study a local tax referendum and to report back on insurance proposals, health-clinic capacity and facility inspections. The board did not vote on any of the requests during the meeting.